Trip Report July 6-12, 2014

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Trip Report July 6-12, 2014

Postby candtdesire07 » Mon Jul 14, 2014 5:07 pm

After our 5 previous visits, there was never a question on if we would return. After this year, for the first time since 2007, we actually questioned returning to Desire.
Check in was quick but then the timeshare people get a hold of you. In previous years a simple "we aren't interested at this time" was sufficient... not this year. We were told about "changes" & "new programs" which got us slightly interested. We were thinking maybe there would be a smaller package to meet our needs. Reluctantly, we agreed to the dreaded "breakfast". We only agreed so we could hear about the new programs and to do recon for other couples who were curious about the new programs (this is the ONLY time we would or will take one for the team lol) . Let's just say the new programs are a joke. Again we declined. Finally realizing we weren't buying, they became rude and visibly upset with us. Their new tactic is basically harassment & bullying. It's disgusting. I will know better next year .

Now the resort:
We love this place.There is no place we rather spend our vacation.

Staff:
Top notch. Every staff member is excellent in what they do. They are all friendly, courteous and do their very best to make sure your stay is nothing but perfect. We did notice there was less staff than previous years and service was a little slower at times. This is not a negative on the staff but the management who has put an extra workload on the on duty staff.

Entertainment staff: They tried but with the departure of their All-Stars (Diana, Lazaro, Vanessa) there has been a noticeable decline. The EC staff is new so hopefully they will learn and improve. There wasn't much participation by the guests in many of the "games" and it seemed the problem was a disconnect between the EC staff & guests. In years past we couldn't wait for the games but the prior EC staff really got the guests going & involved. The new staff aren't bad, they just need to figure out what their style is and to learn the Desire crowd. I have hope that they will be great next year. Coral is showing signs of being real good.

Food:
Excellent as always. The lunch buffet hasn't changes much over the years but the food they put out is always good. The buffet at dinner is good (steak night & Brazilian night were excellent), Suki is always great. The new restaurant Sahlo (the old "white restaurant") was our least favorite. While the food was good, the atmosphere is anything but "sensual". The space is more open and it is LOUD in there. Every sound bounces off the walls and it's was hard to have a conversation. The play video's on the video screens in there which are just weird. They aren't sensual, sexy or make any sense.
Desserts, no matter where you go, are hit & miss (mostly miss) so we usually skip the dessert. This is not new as the desserts haven't been very good any year we have been there. I did try to order the Creme Brulee at Sahlo but they were out of it. 5 minutes later the waiter brought me the biggest Creme Brulee I have ever seen! I took my first bite... it was vanilla pudding that the chef torched the top to make it look like Creme Brulee. Seriously, if you don't have it that's ok but don't give me a bowl of vanilla pudding! At least we all had a good laugh over that.

Rooms:
Adequate & clean. Some have been renovated, some have not. They are currently working on two rooms every week for renovations. Our A/C had it's issues for the first 3 days and maintenance had to fix it every night for three nights straight. They arrived to make repairs very quickly after we called the front desk. Even the renovated rooms are only that of a 3 star hotel but that's not why we go to Desire. The bed was comfy and we enjoyed our second floor balcony. The room is dark & there is inadequate lighting especially in the bathroom (think makeup application ladies). Maid service was fantastic and did those little extras which showed they took pride in their work.

General grounds:
Still beautiful. They are maintained on a daily basis and any issues are resolved quickly.
They were renovating the area in the lobby where the swinging beds were. They finished our last day and it is now a nice seating area. They re-tiled, added a roof and some nice seating. I think this is their way of giving us back the covered area they took from us for the timeshare salespeople. It's not the nice covered hut we used to have but I think this new area will become a nice hangout. The swinging beds will not be coming back to the lobby. We were told new furniture in the lobby will be coming in the next months as the current furniture is getting worn. I posted pics of the new lobby area under the 'General Discussions' thread.

Pool:
The same. Clean & warm but still refreshing on a 90 degree day. By now everyone knows about the coming pool renovations.
Sylvia was her usual fantastic self and the pool area would not be the same without her.

Disco:
Not much has changed. The beds are gone and there is a little more seating. The A/C was upgraded & it stays cool in there now. They play the same music as any other club so it becomes repetitive if you go to any club in the world 7 nights in a row.
The foam party needs to go. 30 minutes was enough for us and most other people. It was briefly fun but we would rather be in the disco.

Nighttime entertainment:
Not as good as previous years. Some good, some average but most of it we can live without. My wife loved the Latin band and they were pretty good. Surprisingly the opra singers were pretty good too. We saw no point in having stripper shows in the disco at a c/o, lifestyle friendly resort.

Jacuzzi:
Nothing has changed up there. It's still the place to see & be seen :)

Refugees In Paradise:
While we aren't part of their group but they had no problem treating us as if we were one of them. What a great group of people! We had a great time meeting them and they had nothing but class the entire week. Thanks guy & girls ;)

With all that said, the reason why we are considering other resorts is they way the prices dramatically increase every year. Paying $500/night for a 3 star resort is starting to bother us. We realize what Desire is and accept it but at their price point, they need to give us a little more for "all inclusive". People shouldn't have to pay $20 to use a beach bed, be harassed by timeshare people, have rooms with broken a/c & inadequate lighting, be charged more for a "deluxe gardenview room" over a "standard room" (There haven't been "deluxe" rooms since 2007. We have stayed in both and they are the same). There seems to be a lot of "extras" for an all-inclusive, $500/night resort. The resort is under new management so we shall see what the future holds.
We had a members week from a friend so a lot of those issues didn't pertain to us but it shouldn't pertain to anyone paying the kind of money we all pay to go there.

Desire, we love you but you are starting to turn off your loyal, long time customers who know what the resort used to be & what it has become. We weren't the only people to feel this way.
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candtdesire07
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We are from: USA
Will be at: Desire Riviera Maya
We arrive on: 26 Jun 2017
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Re: Trip Report July 6-12, 2014

Postby Barerunners » Mon Jul 14, 2014 5:54 pm

Great report! Thank you!
Ok, I'll do that....
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Re: Trip Report July 6-12, 2014

Postby olderII » Mon Jul 14, 2014 6:44 pm

Your last paragraph says it all!
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Re: Trip Report July 6-12, 2014

Postby Mark and Clis » Thu Jul 17, 2014 7:36 pm

Chris and Tracy is was great meeting you guys and thank you for the kind comments about our group.

Mark aka Butters (Refugees in Paradise)
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Re: Trip Report July 6-12, 2014

Postby candtdesire07 » Fri Jul 18, 2014 6:14 am

Mark and Clis wrote:Chris and Tracy is was great meeting you guys and thank you for the kind comments about our group.

Mark aka Butters (Refugees in Paradise)

Rock on! >-p
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candtdesire07
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Posts: 146
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:00 pm
Location: Western NY
We are from: USA
Will be at: Desire Riviera Maya
We arrive on: 26 Jun 2017
Swing Site(s) we belong to: SLS


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